
19.09.2009
25.08.2009
Email Performance 2001 to 2009
In 2001, it was still easy to get opt-ins. "Relevance" wasn’t our ad nauseum catchword yet, and simply throwing up an email capture field would yield names. We saw a peak in the bursting bubble year of 2002. Then (as now) marketers were looking for low cost ways of reaching their target markets, retaining customers and hitting their quarterly goals.
Over time, we see that efficacy fell off the high. Email matured, inboxes filled up and other media worked their way into business and personal life. Given the competition for attention, email has held up remarkably well, especially given its yearly obituary at the hands of the latest, greatest tactic.
In 2004 we see our two groups begin to really diverge. At this point it’s no longer a walk in the park to get new subscribers; marketers are finding that they have to provide value, think about relevance and pay attention to their email programs to see continued increase in its impact.
Every year the gap grows, as those who fit our ‘best practices’ model (a definition which evolved over the years based on tracked metrics) report stable or improving impact for email, while those still batching and blasting see diminishing returns.
ref: http://www.marketingsherpa.com/article.php?ident=31332#
11.08.2009
350.org - Solutions to the climate crisis
350.org is an international campaign dedicated to building a movement to unite the world around solutions to the climate crisis--the solutions that justice demand.
Our mission is to inspire the world to rise to the challenge of the climate crisis--to create a new sense of urgency and of possibility for our planet.
Our focus is on the number 350--as in parts per million, the level scientists have identified as the safe upper limit for CO2 in our atmosphere. But 350 is more than a number--it's a symbol of where we need to head as a planet.
To tackle climate change we need to move quickly, and we need to act in unison--and 2009 will be an absolutely crucial year. This December, world leaders will meet in Copenhagen, Denmark to craft a new global treaty on cutting emissions. The problem is, the treaty currently on the table doesn't meet the severity of the climate crisis--it doesn't pass the 350 test.
In order to unite the public, media, and our political leaders behind the 350 goal, we're harnessing the power of the internet to coordinate a planetary day of action on October 24, 2009. We hope to have actions at hundreds of iconic places around the world - from the Taj Mahal to the Great Barrier Reef to your community - and clear message to world leaders: the solutions to climate change must be equitable, they must be grounded in science, and they must meet the scale of the crisis.
If an international grassroots movement holds our leaders accountable to the latest climate science, we can start the global transformation we so desperately need.
Website: http://www.350.org
Yeni Düldülüm..:))

Bmw F650 Gs.. Daha 15.000 km'de, inşallah nice 15.000'leri beraber yapacağız..:))
Unutmadan, zamanında alım-satım ücreti ne kadar diye bayağı araştırmıştım fakat net bir bilgiye ulaşamamıştım; Fulya'da bir noter'de 183 TL ödedim. Bmw sahibi olmak isteyenlere de duyurulur..
8.08.2009
7.08.2009
Türkiye ve Dünya'dan Online Veriler Sunumum
Thanks to;
Serkan Söğüt (as Art Direction)
Düşecek Domain Takibi..
Aradığınız domaini buldunuz fakat bakıyorsunuz domain başkasının üzerine. Para verip almakta istemiyorsunuz. Domainstandi.com a girerek domainin ne zaman düşeceğini öğrenebilirsiniz.
3.08.2009
Steve McQueen Quote..
2.08.2009
MadMen Yourself: With Twitter
AMC launched a new microsite for promote MadMen’s third season (The popular TV series). In the website you can build your own character from the ground up with a lot of different accessories. Best of all the illustrations created by Dyna Moe. Then you can integrate your customised charater straight into your twitter account! Check out the MadMen Yourself website here.
Thanks to Digital Buzz
1.08.2009
Facebook Brands with Fans: Starbucks Tops Coke
Starbucks achieved this feat by combining an engaging Facebook page, effective ads on that page, and numerous free-food giveaway promotions that resonated with fans, the analysis said. These tactics enabled Starbucks to pick up almost 200,000 Facebook fans during the week of July 19, 2009.
A detailed examination of Starbucks fan trends showed several spikes in the number of new fans between July 18 and July 21, when the company was running a free pastry giveaway. Fans who printed out a coupon could redeem a free pastry with the purchase of any beverage.Earlier in July, Starbucks gave away free ice cream through its Facebook application. In May, the company put up new advertising posters is six cities, asking people to spot them, take photos, and post them on Twitter. These promotions were follow-ups to an election-day promotion last fall that offered free coffee to voters.
A recent report from Wetpaint and the Altimeter Group rated Starbucks as the #1 most socially engaged brand, and suggested that such social media efforts are helping the company’s bottom line.
This popularity of Starbucks giveaways is consistent with a general fervor for food coupons, especially during the recession. Research from RetailMeNot showed that food items remain among the most downloaded online coupons, and Mobilize Systems revealed that mobile phone users would like to see more coupons for snack foods.
The data also tracks with anecdotal reports that consumers support the Starbucks brand, but find the products too pricey during the recession. This explains, in part, why food giveaways and coupons have the appeal they do.
ref: http://tinyurl.com/meendv
28.07.2009
Su Savaşları: www.StartaLie.com
Afişleri gerçekten çok etkileyici..:)
27.07.2009
26.07.2009
Adidas: Live Online Interactive Competition
Scholz & Volkmer are launching a new campaign for Adidas where they are staging a live “interactive” online competition from this Sunday (26th July) for 5 days where fans will be able to control everything a German actor (who wants to become the 12th man of FC Bayern) is required to do online. Users will be able to set tasks for him to complete, control what he can or can’t do or even provide information to help complete objectives! The entire event can be experienced live here.
23.07.2009
BK.com: Burger King’s New Portal
Burger King has just launched the new BK.com portal that houses the very best of their viral and advertising content, plus you can interact with their menu in a whole range of interesting ways. It’s now a really cool place to waste some time for anyone that loves their campaigns or the menu! Possibly the best new feature they’ve introduced their “have it your way” tag-line as the key navigation structure with 3 sliders that allow you to control the type content you want to access on the home page.
Check out: http://www.bk.com/
20.07.2009
Google Maps: Favourite Places
Google Maps has just launched a new app called “Favourite Places” as a tourist guide from the many different perspectives of influential locals. Selecting somewhere like New York City gives you personally bookmarked locations to visit, each with personal notes of why that spot was chosen and related images.
Not sure it will be a tourist “must see” before you go, but its an interesting experience depending on the person you choose to browse a city with… Musician, Chef, Mayor, Sporting Star… Check out the Google Favourite Places website here.
19.07.2009
Location-Based Services Pinpoint Success
Gartner is predicting huge gains for mobile location-based services (LBS) in 2009. The firm estimates that total LBS subscribers will more than double worldwide this year, to 95.7 million.
“The LBS industry has matured rapidly in recent months through a mixture of consolidation, improved price/performance of the enabling technologies and compelling location applications,” said Annette Zimmermann, Gartner analyst.
Worldwide revenues from consumer location-based services were under $1 billion in 2008, but Gartner projects they will top $2.2 billion this year. North America’s share will be the largest, at $713.7 million.Currently, about 10% to 15% of users in North America and Western Europe take advantage of free services. The researcher expects that share to climb to between 40% and 50% by 2013.
The rise of mobile applications and availability of a wider variety of location-based services will continue to fuel popularity—and new mobile marketing opportunities. Locally tailored digital coupons, for example, will go hand in hand with local search.
ref: http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1007175
16.07.2009
Search Marketers' PPC Usage Report - May 2009
As this chart shows, usage of the recently introduced PPC on Facebook is only slightly less than that of Yahoo!’s well established content network. The somewhat sticky question this provokes is why, in a siloed world of search, display and offline media buying, are search marketers buying display ads? If more and more media buying moves to performance-based PPC bid models, does that put the Search Marketer in charge of the larger media buying budget?
To muddy the waters further, PPC ads on Facebook are often designed to drive users to Facebook-markable web pages creating a viral spread effect within the social network. These engaged users posting links on their Facebook pages drive organic traffic-until now the domain of SEO experts. The effect of all this is that more experts have to become generalists, and cross-functional strategies are becoming more common.
Wherever there are consumers clicking, there are search marketers and PPC ad buyers at work. In fact, as more publishers opt to offer a PPC buying option, the universe of PPC ads will continue to increase. Facebook serves as a perfect example. They offer advertisers the choice to buy display ads on a CPM basis or bid for PPC placements in nearly the same way that Google sells text ads on their content network. These big, successful publishers would not be using the model if it didn’t work. The collective web has arrived, and trained search marketers stand to benefit greatly from this shift in the advertising industry.
ref: http://www.marketingsherpa.com/article.php?ident=31289#
Asıl motosiklet kullanmamak çılgınlık
Kampanyada modern bir dil kullanılarak motosiklet kullanıcılarına yönelik olumsuz bakışın tam tersi mesaj verilmesi hedefleniyor. MOTED’e teşekkürler.
Ayrıntılı bilgi: www.moted.net
15.07.2009
Mobile usage Trends
The iPhone is among the most hyped of all smartphones—especially with the recent launch of the 3GS model. Even better for Apple, though, is the fact that the hype may translate to real brand loyalty.
Not only are iPhone owners more satisfied—and more brand-loyal—than any other smartphone users, they use the most smartphone features.
iPhone owners were more likely than users of BlackBerrys and other advanced handsets to use all of the most popular functions, including Wi-Fi and GPS.
iPhone users were also more satisfied with their screen size, navigation within their phone, the availability of add-ons and the quality of video playback.
The most commonly used smartphone functions, on average, were the Internet (80% of respondents), camera (74%) and e-mail (73%).
Highly satisfied customers add up to big brand equity for Apple. Fully 82% of iPhone users told Crowd Science they would probably or definitely purchase an iPhone again, and 97% would recommend the device to someone else.
What’s more, 38% of smartphone users without an iPhone said they would probably or definitely buy one next, compared with just 14% of non-BlackBerry users who would purchase a BlackBerry.
12.07.2009
Mercedes Benz (Kanada) - "B Class" Mikrosite
Sitede istenilen bilgiler kompakt olarak veriliyor fakat daha detaylı bilgiye ulaşmak da mümkün.
Siteyi merak edenler için: http://www.mercedes-benz.ca/b/
11.07.2009
Her Hafta Yeni Bir Tişört - Tasarti.com
"HER HAFTA YENİ BİR TİŞÖRT!" mottosuyla yola çıkan websayfası ürünlerini kendi tasarlamak isteyen herkese açık.. Ürünlerin fiyatlarının ortalama 25 TL olması ise tasarım ürünler için gayet makul bir fiyat.
Göz atmak isteyenler için: www.Tasarti.com
Kendi ağzından Tasarti;
Tasartı.com’da devam etmekte olan Tasarım Yarışması sonucu, her hafta bir tasarım, tişört olarak satışa çıkar. Dolayısıyla, Tasartı.com’da her hafta yeni bir tişört satın alabileceksiniz. İleride yeni tişört ekleme sıklığını arttırmayı planlıyoruz.
Peki, tasarımların arasından basılacak tişört nasıl seçiliyor? Bu tişörtü, oylamalarınızla siz seçiyorsunuz. Haftanın tişörtü, o tarihe kadar gönderilmiş tasarımlar içinde en fazla ve en yüksek oyu almış olan tasarımlar arasından seçiliyor.Ben ilk siparişimi verdim, ürün geldikten sonraki yorumlarımı da buradan paylaşacağım..
10.07.2009
Not Twitter - Its CivilCivil.com :))
Bugün beni twitter'dan ekleyen web sayfası ise takdire şayan bir oluşum!!!:) Twitter'ın template'i üzerinde ufak oynamalarla yerli twitter'ı oluşturmuşlar. Kendilerini pazarlama yöntemleri ise yine twitter:)
Bu fikir dehası arkadaşları FriendFeed ve Hi5 gibi siteleri uygularken de görmek isteriz:))
Web Sayfası: http://www.civilcivil.com/
Ana sayfa;
P.S: Olurda blog'uma ulaşırlarsa, Ne demişler: "Reklamın iyisi kötüsü olmaz":))
9.07.2009
Hakan @ EMOK Festival..
Türkiye Motoriders Grubu (www.trmotoriders.org) ile bu yıl 8. si düzenlenen Emok (Enduro Motosiklet Kulübü) festivali için Bilecik pazaryeri'nde çadırımı kurdum. 3-4-5 Temmuz günleri boyunca gün içindeki aktiviteler, enduro eğitimi ve gece konserleri tam anlamıyla müthişti.
9.Emok'ta görüşmek üzere..
Hakan'ın KTM 250 Exc denemeleri.. Bu motor kesinlikle tork canavarı..
7.07.2009
Michael Jackson Death Completely Overwhelms Media
An Online Outpouring
Nielsen reported that Jackson-related news dominated web discussion on June 25, causing huge spikes in traffic and overwhelming social networks with bursts of information and updates from millions of users.
In comparison, the high volume of blog discussions about Jackson made recent buzz around the swine flu scare and President Obama’s inauguration seem paltry and insignificant.
Similarly a Nielsen Buzzmetrics analysis revealed that more than 16% of tweets in the 24-hour period after Jackson’s death mentioned the singer, while less than 2% of mentioned Farrah Fawcett and Iran - two other high-profile news topics during the same time period.
Information from Mashable put the percentage of MJ-tribute tweets higher, at close to 30%, with a reported 50,000 tweets in just one hour. Mashable said that Twitter tracking tool Twist showed 22.61% of Tweets following Jackson’s death with the phrase “Michael Jackson,” 9% containing “MJ,” and 25% including the name “Michael.” Twitter is reported to have crashed at least once during this time.
The ICM News site in the UK reported that search engine Google dramatically slowed down between 2:40 pm and 3:15 pm Pacific time on June 25, as millions of Googlers entering the star’s name got an error page rather than a list of results. These difficulties were later confirmed by Google.
In addition, many entertainment sites slowed significantly and became difficult to access, including celebrity gossip site TMZ.com, according to TechCrunch. TMZ.com first broke the story that Jackson’s heart had stopped and paramedics had been summoned.
MP3 Downloads Surge
Rolling Stone reported that, following Jackson’s death, the top five albums on iTunes, and seven of the Top 10, were all Jackson releases, with The Essential Michael Jackson, Thriller and Off the Wall ranking as the top three.
Similarly, the Amazon MP3 store listed Jackson as the service’s top-selling artist of the day following his death, said Rolling Stone. Last.fm also documented a large increase in listeners to “The King of Pop” in the moments following his passing, with a peak of roughly 42,000 of his songs played on the service between 6 pm and 8 pm ET.
Downloads of Michael Jackson’s music also caused a surge on BitTorrent, where, immediately after his death, the three most active torrents in the music section on the largest torrent indexer, Mininova, were all compilations or discographies from MJ. On top was a torrent listing 30 Michael Jackson albums, The Jackson 5 and The Jacksons, totaling 1.94 GB of music.
ref: http://tinyurl.com/nf9t8q
16.06.2009
"Yıldız TERLİK Üniversitesi"
TÜRKİYE’nin en ’fırlama’ markalarından birisi olarak kabul edilen Twigy’nin Beşiktaş Yıldız’daki mağaza açılışı öncesi Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi’ne gönderme yaptığı ’Yıldız Terlik Üniversitesi’ reklamlarına para cezası kesildi. Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi’nin açtığı maddi ve manevi tazminat davasında 15 bin lira ödemeye mahkum olmalarını değerlendiren Twigy Yönetim Kurulu Başkanı Sinan Öncel, "Biz yaratıcı, sıra dışı, kışkırtıcı reklamlar ile fark yaratmaya çalışan bir markayız. Yaptığımız espri ilk kez bu kadar pahalıya mal oldu" dedi.
İlk kez tazminat ödüyor
13 Aralık 2006 tarihinde açtıkları Yıldız mağazasının dekorasyonu sırasında mağazanın üzerini, tam karşısında yer alan Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi’nden esinlenerek ’Yıldız Terlik Üniversitesi’ görselleriyle kapladıklarını hatırlatan Sinan Öncel şöyle konuştu: "Çok kısa bir süre sonra da mağazamız açılmış ve görsel kaldırılmıştık. Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi’nin tarafımıza açtığı maddi ve manevi tazminat davası geçenlerde sonuçlandı ve 15 bin lira tazminat ödemeye mahkum olduk.Üniversite kendilerine yaptığımız ’maddi kazanç sağlamak için haksız saldırılar’nedeniyle bu davayı açmıştı. Bundan önce yaptığımız reklamlara olumlu veya olumsuz eleştiriler almıştık, ancak ilk defa tazminat ödeyeceğiz."
FB Cumhuriyeti’ne itiraz
Twigy’nin daha öncede pek çok reklamı çok ses getirmişti. Kızıltoprak’taki ’Fenerbahçe Cumhuriyeti Nüfus 25 Milyon’ panosu şikayet üzerine indirilmişti. Sinan Öncel bu panoyla ilgili Kadıköy Savcılığı’na ifade vermişti.
Gerilla pazarlama taktiği
Şu an Ali Sami Yen’in üzerindeki reklam alanlarında ’Galatasaray Üniversitesi Tarih Fakültesi’ yazdığını belirten Öncel, "Bu reklamda ayrıca Galatasaray’ın Avrupa ve dünya şampiyonluklarının listesi var. İnşallah bir tarih fakultesi dava açmaz! İçerenköy’deki mağaza açılışımızda dekorasyon süresince dükkanın etrafı ’Zzzıt Erenköy’ görseliyle kaplanmıştı. Allahtan Erenköylüler hoşgörülüydü" dedi. Öncel, dünyanın her yerinde ’Gerilla pazarlama’ olarak adlandırılan bu yöntemin Türkiye’de bazen bedel ödemek zorunda bıraktığını da sözlerine ekledi.
ref: http://arama.hurriyet.com.tr/arsivnews.aspx?id=11862008
15.06.2009
TDK'da En çok aranan Türkçe kelimeler
Türk Dil Kurumu'nun internet sitesine 99 ülke giriş yapıyor... Yabancılar hakkımızda en çok hangi kelimeleri arıyor dersiniz?
İSVİÇRE LAİKLİĞİ, FAS ATATÜRK'Ü SORDU
Türk Dil Kurumu (TDK) Haiti’den bile siteye girilerek arama yapıldığını belirledi. TDK’nın arama motoruna giren 99 ülkeden bazılarının "Atatürk" ve "laik" kelimesini aradıkları ortaya çıktı. Bu ülkelerden özellikle Malezya ve İsviçre "laik"i, Fas, Suriye ve Avusturya ise Atatürk’ü sordu.
EN ÇOK ARAYANLAR ABD'LİLER
13 bin 760 kelime ile en çok arama ABD’den yapılırken, Almanya’dan 11 bin 383, Rusya’dan 3 bin 635, Hollanda’dan 3 bin 496, Fransa’dan 2 bin 465, İngiltere’den 2 bin 30, Mısır’dan 508, Danimarka’dan 468, Çin’den 129, İsrail’den 118, Arabistan’dan 115, Ermenistan’dan 17, Haiti ve Irak’tan 10, Meksika’dan 6, Jameika’dan ise 2 kelime arandığı belirlendi. TDK Başkanı Şükrü Haluk Akalın, "Önümüzdeki günlerde Türkçe-İngilizce, İngilizce-Türkçe sözlüğünü de sitemize koyacağız" dedi.
ref: http://www.internethaber.com/news_detail.php?id=196064
10.06.2009
Work to Ride Day

Hepimiz trafikte motorların fark edilmesini, bizlere saygı gösterilmesini ve daha çok insanın motosiklet kullanmaya başlamasını istiyoruz. Ancak bu isteklerin kendi kendine gerçekleşmesi mümkün değil. Elimizi taşın altına sokmamız ve bir şeyler yapmamız gerekiyor. İş Günü Sürüşü‘de tam bu amaca yönelik bir oluşum.
Özetle 1992′den beri süregelen ve ABD’de başlayan bu oluşumu artık Türkiye’de de daha aktif şekilde hayata geçirerek insanların işlerine motosikeltleriyle gitmelerini sağlamaya çalışıyoruz. Bu sayede trafikte farkedilmeyi, sektörün gelişmesini ve en önemlisi ön yargıları kırmayı hedefliyoruz.
Peki neden işe motosikletle gitmeli?
Çünkü işe motorla gitmek eğlencelidir.
Çünkü işe motorla gitmek daha ucuzdur.
Çünkü işe motorla gitmek daha hızlıdır.
Çünkü işe motorla gitmek yaşadığımızı hissettirir.
Kayıp zaman olarak geçen, trafikte beklediğimiz o saatleri motosiklet sayesinde eğlenceye, spora ve bir güzelliğe çevirebiliriz. Bunu yaparken başkalarına örnek olarak yollarda daha fazla motorun görünmesine ve bu sayede diğer araç sürücülerinin bizleri daha çok farketmesini yani daha güvende olmayı sağlayabiliriz.
İş Günü Sürüşü yılda bir gün tüm motosiklet kullanıcılarını işe motorlarıyla gitmek üzere davet ediyor. İşe motosikletinizi sürerek gidin. İşe, bankaya, okula, eve, alışverişe, misafirliğe, devlet dairesine, spora…Her nereye gidiyorsanız her yılın 3. pazartesi günü İş Günü Sürüşü‘nü gerçekleştirin ve o gün motosikletinize binerek sizi, herkesin her gittiğiniz yerde motorunuzla veya kaskınızla-ekipmanınızla görmesini sağlayın.
Tarih: 15 Haziran - Saat 19:00
Anadolu Yakası: Moda Çay Bahçesi
Avrupa Yakası: Dolmabahçe Çay Bahçesi
Detaylar: www.issurusu.org - www.ridetowork.org
7.06.2009
5.06.2009
3.06.2009
Kids care more about love and respect than owning cool brands
Inevitably, questions are being raised about what constitutes responsible marketing, and whether the youth marketing industry requires regulation to prevent further harm.
In this context, it seems appropriate to ask young people about their hopes and aspirations, the pressures they face in modern Britain and the commercial world and marketing as it affects them.
In March 2008, my company, which specialises in youth communications, started taking responses from 650 subjects aged between 11 and 17 from across the UK. The initial phase, a quantitative online survey, focuses firstly on the young people's aspirations and concerns, and the role that is played within these by commercial products and materialism.
Secondly, it looks at their specific feelings about different forms of advertising: which are the ones young people believe are more effective, and which are the ones they respect more.
Why is this research needed? Marketing agencies have a responsibility to their audience, especially when that audience is young, and should gauge the impact their activities have on well-being. Research also helps tailor marketing strategies to what young people see as responsible and respected forms of advertising.
We began by focusing on what they wished for from life (Figure 1). Among the 24 factors they were asked to rate on a scale of one to seven, from 'not important at all' to 'very important', we included several wealth, fashion and brand-orientated statements, alongside those concerning religion, friends, family, jobs and respecting others.
Figure 1: Important things in life
The results suggest that young people's materialism is not as developed as some would have us believe. If you rank each of the factors according to how they rated in the 'very important' categories, 'close friends', 'safe home' and 'enjoyable job' rank over 77%. Close behind follow 'close family', 'respect from others' and 'respecting others'.
Material needs appear low on the list, with 'being able to buy the things I want', 'lots of money' and 'being able to buy cool brands' in the bottom half. It is, rather, their social circle that seems to be deemed most important in young people's lives. This is further reinforced by the more aggressive individualistic factors (such as 'being better than others') being the lowest rated.
NON-MATERIAL CONCERNS
When asked about their main worries, young people did not indicate great concern over material possessions. Schoolwork and personal/social relationships led the list, and health, safety and job potential were ranked above monetary concerns.
Lowest in the list were fashion, brands and 'being cool'. When asked what makes them respect other people, such material and commercial concerns were, again, rated as unimportant. This trend was repeated in a further question regarding how they would gain the respect of others: material effects were lowest rated, and the highest-rated choices were 'care for your friends', 'help other people', 'be funny', and 'show your skills'.
Although young people do not entirely discount wealth and possessions, they do not overtly recognise them as drivers of respect. In light of these results, the commercial world seems to have a lesser impact than we are led to expect, at least in the opinions of young people.
It must be recognised that these methods are not infallible, and that when faced with questions of this nature, these young people may choose (either consciously or otherwise) to represent themselves as less materialistic than they really are. We currently only have a quantitative assessment of young people's opinions of themselves, and no independent ethnographic study of their behaviour. Our own qualitative research is still in progress.
Another area of the research investigated how much commercialism is contributing to bullying. These questions are less personal, more about observed behaviour, and on a subject that is often cited as a serious outcome of a materialist tendency in youth.
Do money, products and marketing feed part of the bullying culture, providing extra ammunition for those with the necessary products to ridicule those on the other side of the fence? We asked the 650 young people in an open question to write down what they think are the five main causes of bullying. Only one in ten cited material factors, such as clothes, gadgets, brands and money, or related issues, such as social class. This shows that, while material factors are involved, they are as random as the other features that may single out a child, including being too intelligent or not intelligent enough, being fat or skinny, or being ugly or pretty.
To take this further, if we examine the group in the survey who listed bullying as one of their greatest worries, we find that love, safety, friends, family and the respect of others are, predictably, the things they worry about most. They are least concerned about having the latest gadgets, brands or fashion trends. Three-quarters feel owning cool products is unnecessary for being cool or making friends.
We cannot find extensive evidence in the results of this survey that the commercial world is making it significantly more difficult for young people to fit in, and it does not appear to have the negative effects that bring the whole industry into question. The next phase of our research will assess whether these currently low negative effects are growing.
TRYING TO FIT IN
So does marketing increase the pressure on young people? Criticism is based on the idea that the marketing of branded accessories, gadgets and fashion items is increasing the pressure on young people to conform to the world around them, or risk alienation. Many recent reports argue that advertising makes young people more avaricious, and more inclined to prioritise material goods over their spiritual wellbeing. The young people we surveyed do not seem to feel that pressure from youth marketing.
So how important is it for young people to own the latest version of a mobile phone, item of clothing or trainers? Only mobile phones and clothing elicit any real desire, with 30% feeling that keeping up with fashion was 'very important'. The reasons for this seemed to fall into the 'I like keeping up to date' category, or 'keeping up with technology'. Motives of fitting in, gaining others' respect or showing off were not rated by our respondents. Also, when it came to asking why someone might fall out of a friendship group, young people in the sample were resistant to any statements that implied it may be caused by not keeping up-to-date, or fashions, brands or money.
To reinforce this, peer pressure to own what everyone else has is also seen as irrelevant for most young people. Only one in five of our sample felt a friend owning a product had any influence on their purchasing decision. This reflects the decline of some 'brand-orientated' youth tribes in recent years. That doesn't mean that what a friend thinks about a product or brand isn't important, but it does suggest that young people today are able to make their own assessments of the brands and products on offer.
LABELS AREN'T EVERYTHING
Brands are part of the commercial landscape – as are new products – but young people are not hanging on to every last word of a campaign, or worrying about material items more than they do about their friends and family.
Some commentators imply that any evidence of commercialisation must be replacing love and care in the minds of young people. What we have found is that they co-exist: the commercial world is there, but it is much less important in young people's lives than the more socially-orientated goals.
Where does this leave youth marketing and advertising? Inevitably, a more commercially aware youth audience has more experience of the sales process. It doesn't mean young people are damaged by the experience, but it does mean they are healthily cynical about corporate communications. When questioned about attitudes towards certain forms of marketing, 69% said they believe advertisements exaggerate products, and only one in ten felt an advertisement was an important factor in determining a 'musthave' product.
Some of this negativity may have been fuelled by experience. Of those who had been persuaded to buy a product by a TV or cinema advertisement, many had been disappointed by some of the products once purchased. This is why, when we asked the question, the majority of young people said they preferred advertising they see as straightforward and 'honest'.
This aspect of our research demonstrates why it is even more important to listen to what young people feel about marketers' tactics and advertising channels. It should be the audience that comes up with the key touchpoints for a brand message, and the influences on their purchasing decision.
In an age where youth marketing is being assessed for appropriateness, we need to get young people's endorsement of the medium, not just the message.
ABOVE-THE-LINE MESSAGES
In terms of achieving awareness about new products or brands, mainstream, above-the-line advertising is still the most effective channel for communicating with young people. Over 42% of our sample felt strongly that, without advertising, they would not know what was available to them, and 32% actually enjoy advertisements. Admittedly, around half said ads were 'annoying', but as respondents were asked to rate each statement out of seven, it is highly likely that some have answered yes to both.
Although advertising did not influence the actual purchasing decision for a new product, more general brand awareness was very influential in determining a must-have product. One could infer from this that advertising operates more for brand reinforcement than for product marketing.
But new technology will change ad delivery, so we asked specifically about personally-targeted advertisements. Targeted or personalised ads are preferred to general advertising, because young people, like most of us, want to hear about products or brands we either already like or will relate to.
Ads on social networking sites, such as Facebook and Bebo, that reflect buying behaviours and stated interests, are preferred by the majority of young people. There was, however, some nervousness about personal details being used to tailor advertisements.
This section of the survey also confirmed that having friends who own the products has very little ripple effect on product awareness. A mere street presence is not enough, but a positive recommendation from friends creates awareness of the brand or product. One in four rated friends' involvement as 'important' or 'very important' in helping them assess a product or purchase decision.
These influences continued when young people were asked about sources of trusted information about a product. Nearly nine out of ten would trust a friend's opinion, compared with only a quarter rating TV ads as trustworthy. Product reviews (61%) and customer reviews, as on Amazon (67%), trump more corporate communications. Roughly the same proportion said they would trust a friend's opinion over an advertisement. Having young people approve a product independently, and then talk about it, appears to be an essential part of an effective campaign. But, of course, the product has to be good enough to generate this approval.
This boost for social and real influencers in the youth arena is backed up by the survey's analysis of key factors in the buying decision. When we asked what made a particular marketing campaign more effective, young people were unimpressed by celebrity endorsement, preferring real people, ideally with humour. Interestingly, having people their age in the ad seems unnecessary, while free gifts and multi-buy offers on relevant items would have much more impact.
To explore the issue in further depth, we asked young people three related questions: which forms of marketing did they feel were most effective; which did they prefer to be targeted with; and which would they choose if they were marketing directors launching a new youth product. In-store, outdoor and school advertising all scored better than average in terms of effectiveness and as respected routes to market.
MARKETING TURN-OFFS
Types of marketing that young people do not approve of include radio advertising, direct email and mail, SMS advertising and any form of interruptive ad, online or in other media. On the whole, internet banner ads and immersive ads in games, both online and console, were seen as effective, but not particularly highly regarded, with young people choosing more 'hands on' campaigns.
Of course, this does not mean young people are unaffected by the forms of advertising they dislike, but it does provide a guide to their engagement (or not) by advertising in the past.
The early stages of this research show young people as savvy, resilient and independent, able to make their own assessments and decisions from the information provided. They do not feel pressured by youth marketing. It doesn't appear to affect their peer relationships, or feed their materialism.
Traditional factors, such as love and relationships, are still key to young people's happiness, and goods and services play only a minor role. Although commercial brands and products are a consideration in the formation of individual identities, they are not relied on to gain the respect of their peers, or seen as factors that encourage them to respect others.
What they ask for is integrity, just as they seek in their own friendships: the brands that respect and include them are the brands they will make friends with. This should be the primary consideration of all youth marketers.
ref: WARC May 09 Article: http://www.warc.com/Tracking/ArticleLink.asp?ID=89348&M=WARC-F-May09